[Le prix, c'est délicieux]
For a much needed café in the morning (or afternoon), pop into O Délices de Marius, located at 10 rue de Grenette. The inside is small and comfortable, a little kitchy but not overdone. It seems to be visited by tourists and locals alike—some for a late lunch, others for just un crème with some friends. And the prices are perfect: a café and a patisserie, neatly packaged as “petit dejeuner,” adds up only 1.90 euros (what one could easily pay for just a café in any of the brasserie along the Rue de la Republique or near Place Bellecour). Besides the croissants, éclairs, and other mouthwatering pastries that line the glass case, sweet and savory crepes, salads, and sandwiches are also advertised—all at fairly reasonable costs.
And while the leftover change was a pleasant surprise, the pain au chocolat I devoured was reason itself to make O Délices de Marius a regular stop.
[oh LALA-LERE]
Lala-Lère: one of those fabulous stores that contains everything and nothing. No less than a marvelous toy store for grown-up women, this tiny boutique is located on the rue de Brest. The floor-to-ceiling shelves are crammed with floral print shopping bags, thermos decorated with comic strips, and Petit Prince change purses. And did I mention the dishes? You find yourself convinced you are desperately in need of a matching pink paisley tea set, a tray decorated with sushi (and bowls to match!), and a rainbow of stackable espresso cups.Beware though—high prices are made higher still by the exchange rate. The floral print picnic-ware is adorable, but not for $18.
[an evening of swing o'clock]
Despite the kitchy name, this group caught both ear and eye of the passerby one afternoon, where they were getting down outside of L’Escal’in. It was late afternoon and both students and old French men with berets were swinging to this funky mix of live jazz and electro beats in the middle of the street in Vieux Lyon. Listen to some of their previous mixes at http://swingoclock.online.fr/Ecoute.html.